This week Matt continued the series on 2 Corinthians, beginning from chapter 4.
This week Graham picks up from where John left off last week. Now in 2 Corinthians 3, verses 7-18, his subtitles are More Glory, Greater Hope and Better Reply.
Notes are below. As usual the material is made available so that any may use it, adapt it and preach it.
Sermon 2 Corinthians 3:7-18
More Glory, Greater Hope and Better Reply
1) More Glory (3:8)
2 Corinthians 3:8
will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
Well is it? Only by having correct knowledge, coupled with faith. Then we declare it is so.
See Hebrews 12 verses 18-24You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.
The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear.
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
We see that the Apostle John understood this sort of thing when we see his choice of words at the beginning of the book of Revelation 1 verse 10, “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day.”
2) Greater Hope (3:12This is a word with a particular and exact meaning when used in the Bible and therefore in the Christian community.
See the following scriptures:
Acts 26:6 ,7 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O King, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me.
Romans 4:18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations
Romans 5:2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 8:24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
Colossians 1:5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel
Colossians 1:23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self- controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
Titus 1:2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Hebrews 6:11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.
Hebrews 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hope. From teaching I presented to York Summer Soul two weeks ago:
Supposedly by Mary Frye, tough authorship is disputed:
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.
The above is pagan, pantheistic and certainly not Christian. Were it not for the risen Jesus Christ, then “sting” and “victory” would fit death well.
Death is real. But as Job said, (Job 19:26 ) “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”
When I do funerals is quote Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?… For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jude 1:24,25 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.
At the Grave I read from 1Co 15:51-53 Behold, I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
At the grave the words of Committal I use are:
For as much as it has pleased Almighty God in His great mercy to take to Himself the soul of our dear brother/sister here departed, we therefore commit his/her body to the ground, earth to earth ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who is able to transform those who trust in Him. So that our lowly bodies will be like His glorious body. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen
What of our journey as we wait in hope?
Our journey goes by the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 1
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 2
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
In some way we are already citizens of that new land, though living here for the now.
See Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 2:19
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,
Where did John go to (see Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet..)?
By faith we are there too, see Hebrews 12:18-24. That is where we are on the Lord’s day.
Where will we be when we arrive?
1 Thessalonians 4
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever.
18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
He is coming:
Rev 22:7 “Behold I am coming.”
v12 “Behold I am coming soon.”
v20 “Yes I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
We will be in our bodies. See 1 Corinthians 15
We don’t stay in that place of greeting, we arrive with him to rule on earth.
Rev 21
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
5 He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.
6 He said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
To the church in Philadelphia - Rev 3:11
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no-one will take your crown.
12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
What should we being doing as we wait for the fulfilment of our hope?
See the model prayer that Jesus gave in Luke 11:2-4
And he said unto them, When you pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven…
Because I pray “Thy kingdom come” I can go on to pray “Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven”
When I pray “Thy kingdom come” I am inviting his rule to be expressed.
By praying “Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven” I am pronouncing that I am asking that not the will of flesh nor the will of the enemy, but the will of the Almighty God be seen.
3) Better Reply
1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
But not only our preparedness to give a reason for the hope, but back to 2 Corinthians 2:15, we are called upon to carry the aroma of Jesus. And in 2 Corinthians 3:2, our lives are to be a letter read by all.
It is not enough to just let them see how you live, not only that they hear your words. We must proclaim by both.
Discussion Questions for small groups:
- How do you imagine your resurrection?
- “The lost.” Do hear this term often? Do you feel comfortable with this term? What do you think is meant by that term?
- In what way can the prayer of “Thy kingdom come” and “Thy will be done” be used in your encounters with people in need?
Following on from Graham’s sermon two weeks ago (part 6), I covered the next three verses in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6.I referred to the first issue of Confidence a pentecostal periodical from 1908. You can view any of the Confidence periodicals and other early 20th Century pentecostal periodicals at this website.
- John
2 Corinthians 3:4-6
“1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant-not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
1. “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.”
Paul had a tough job. But in some ways, having been so close to the action, he had an easier job than you and I. That’s why Jesus said in John 20:29 to Thomas “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.” In some ways it was easier for Paul to be so confident, Jesus had literally stopped him in his tracks and commissioned him. Two thousand years later, many wars and scientific discoveries and theories later, you and I are keeping the faith. We have confidence in Christ.
“Confidence” was chosen as the name of one of the very first Pentecostal periodicals back in 1908 published by Alexander Boddy et al. Boddy was the CofE minister of All Saints church Sunderland. In 1892 he received the baptism in the HS (unusual in those days), in 1899 his wife Mary was healed of asthma, in 1904 he visited Wales where he met Evan Roberts and the following year he went to Oslo in Norway to a revival which had been started there by Thomas Barratt. Barratt himself had been to LA and to Azusa Street. Boddy then invited Barratt to Sunderland subsequently Boddy and his wife spoke in tongues. His wife later laid hands on Smith Wigglesworth and George Jeffreys was introduced to Pentecostal teaching by Boddy.
Read Confidence. Comment - there are lots of very interesting stories in these pages most are testimonies of this so called Pentecostal blessing which was really the Holy Spirit breaking into churches all over the country and the world.
I don’t think it is uncommon for Christians to suffer a crisis of confidence in God’s grace extending to them. I have experienced this. It is one thing for a non christian to sin but quite another for a christian to sin (watching Doctor Who when you should be reading your Bible). Surely the deepest darkest corner of hell is reserved for such as this? Ofcourse not.
The most powerful source of confidence, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. Who knows of this experience?
2.”He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant“
One aspect of this new covenant is the universality of the Spirit. You might like to call it that excellent Lutheran phrase “the priesthood of all believers”. Being a christian is both the greatest earthly honour (not nobel prizes or number one in the charts) but it carries with it a responsibility.
In this wonderful new covenant we live under, each of us has access to the Spirit. Therefore each of us can be a conduit for God’s love, wisdom, mercy and Spirit as well. We are a spirit filled community.
Now the old covenant was not like that. The Spirit was reserved for special leaders, the Spirit wasn’t just for anyone. It was for Moses, Joshua, the Judges, the Kings, the prophets Elijah and Elisha. It wasn’t poured out upon everyone irrespective of gender or race or status. But God was always dropping hints of a new time to come. Joel 2:28-29, Isaiah 59:21, Ezekiel 36:26-27.
3. “a new covenant-not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.“
Letter is used five times in the first six verses of 2 cor 3. The greek varies because Paul means something different by his first use of the word. “Sustatikos” for letters of recommendation and “amma” for letter in verse 6. This use of the word letter means law, the mosiac covenant. The laws handed down through Moses.
Why does the letter (law) kill? Because we always fall short of it. I would argue that was God’s intention. The law was really much harder to keep than it seemed: Matthew 5:28 (lust) 1 John3:15 (Hate). God’s standards are so high that if we try to please Him without Christ and the Spirit we will die. But hallelujah the Spirit gives freedom!
I did the teaching session at York Summer Soul this morning. I was asked if my notes could be available so here they are.
If you were not there they may not make too much sense. As usual with my stuff, feel free to use it or adapt it.
Supposedly by Mary Frye, though authorship is disputed:
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.
Quoted on P16 of Tom Wright’s “Surprised by Hope”.
The above is pagan, pantheistic and certainly not Christian. At funerals I have editorial control over what readings will feature. I will not have this poem. I have given my life to serve, why switch my brain off at such a time?
You did die, and worms or fire will consume your body. But as Job said, (Job 19:26 ) “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”
Reading Tom Wright it seems there is a loss of confidence in some circles over the resurrection promised us in the Bible.
See the words I use at funerals:
General Readings in funeral service
Romans 8:35-39Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
BENEDICTION
Jude 1:24,25 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.
At Grave
1Co 15:42-44, 50 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in imperfection; it is raised in perfection: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does the imperfect inherit the perfect.
1Co 15:51-53 Behold, I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Committal
Cemetery - Christian
For as much as it has pleased Almighty God in His great mercy to take to Himself the soul of our dear brother/sister here departed, we therefore commit his/her body to the ground, earth to earth ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who is able to transform those who trust in Him. So that our lowly bodies will be like His glorious body. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Cemetery - Non Christian
And now, trusting in the great mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, we commit the bodily remains of ??????????? to the ground, earth to earth ashes to ashes, dust to dust; until that great and final day when all will appear before His throne to receive their reward and death will be no more
Q: How do you imagine your resurrection?
1) What of our journey?
We use general terms like “heaven”. I am comfortable with the lack of precision but we can understand more than that.
To the thief Jesus promised paradise that same day. A good place but not the final destination. More of that later.
Our journey goes by the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 1
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 2
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
In some way we are already citizens of that new land, though living here for the now.
See
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 2:19
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,
Where did John go to (see Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet..)?
By faith we are there too, see Hebrews 12:18-24. That is where we are on the Lord’s day.
2) Where will we be when we arrive?
1 Thessalonians 4
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever.
18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
He is coming:
Rev 22:7 “Behold I am coming.”
v12 “Behold I am coming soon.”
v20 “Yes I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
We will be in our bodies. See 1 Corinthians 15
We don’t stay in that place of greeting, we arrive with him to rule on earth.
Rev 21
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
5 He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.
6 He said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
To the church in Philadelphia - Rev 3:11
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no-one will take your crown.
12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Q: “The lost.” Do hear this term often? Do you feel comfortable with this term? What do you think is meant by that term?
3) What should we being doing until we arrive home?
Luke 11:2-4
And he said unto them, When you pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins;
for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Because I pray “Thy kingdom come” I can go on to pray “Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven”
When I pray “Thy kingdom come” I am inviting his rule to be expressed.
By praying “Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven” I am pronouncing that I am asking that not the will of flesh nor the will of the enemy, but the will of the Almighty God be seen.
Q: In what way can the prayer of “Thy kingdom come” and “Thy will be done” be used in your encounters on the streets?
